1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge assembly having at least one hinge unit of a mounting strap for use with a portable information apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, as a mounting strap for mounting a wrist watch or a portable apparatus such as a wrist watch type communication apparatus or a wrist watch type information apparatus represented by a PHS (Personal Handyphone System) communication terminal onto the arm, there is known, for example, a mounting strap mounted onto the arm by connecting together two pieces of a 6 o""clock side strap and a 12 o""clock side strap connected to two opposed ends (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9c6 o""clock sidexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c12 o""clock sidexe2x80x9d) of a case main body of a portable apparatus by locking thereof by buckles. Herein, such a type strap is referred to as a strap of a buckle type. There is known a strap of the buckle type made of skin or made of fiber having buckles or made by a metal chain having bindings.
Further, other than the strap of the buckle type, there is known a strap of a bangle type formed in a predetermined shape capable of surrounding the arm by a 6 o""clock side strap and a 12 o""clock side strap. The strap of the bangle type is mounted onto the arm by fixing the strap in a state of being fitted to pinch the arm without connecting together the 6 o""clock side strap and the 12 o""clock side strap. There is constructed a structure in which in opening and closing the strap of the bangle type, when the strap is detached in a state of being fitted to the arm, the 6 o""clock side strap or the 12 o""clock side strap is pulled to open directly by force of the hand of a user, further, when the strap is fitted thereto in an opened state, the 6 o""clock side strap or the 12 o""clock side strap is pushed to close directly by the force of the hand of the user.
However, according to the above-described conventional mounting strap of the buckle type, the 6 o""clock side strap and the 12 o""clock side strap are connected together by the buckles and locked to prevent from being readily detached and firmly fitted to the arm and therefore, the operability in attaching and detaching thereof is poor. Further, even in the case of the mounting strap of the bangle type referred to also as a bracelet type, there poses a problem that the opening and closing operation is carried out directly by the force of the hand of the user per se and therefore, the operability in attaching and detaching thereof is poor.
Hence, the invention has been carried out in view of the above-described drawbacks in the conventional art and it is an object thereof to provide a hinge unit for opening or closing a mounting strap of a bangle type facilitating attaching and detaching thereof and having an excellent fitting feeling.
In order to achieve the above-described object, according to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a hinge unit of a mounting strap characterized in comprising a rotational pipe member formed with a hole in an L-like shape perforated in the L-like shape toward a peripheral direction and an axial direction at a side face thereof, a button member inserted to the rotational pipe member, a fixed member projected and inserted into the hole in the L-like shape of the rotational pipe member and connected to the button member, an axial direction elastic member for urging the rotational pipe member and the button member to each other such that the fixed member is butted to a side of a terminal end in the axial direction of the hole in the L-like shape of the rotational pipe member, and a rotational direction elastic member for urging the rotational pipe member and the button member to each other such that the fixed member is butted to a side of a terminal end in a peripheral direction of the hole in the L-like shape of the rotational pipe member, wherein either one of the rotational pipe member and the fixed member is attached to a case main body of a portable apparatus and other thereof is attached to a strap piece to thereby axially fix the strap piece rotatably to one end side or other end side of the case main body.
Thereby, as described later, by axially fixing the strap piece rotatably to the one end side or the other end side of the case main body, the user can detach the mounting strap from the arm and mount the mounting strap thereto by operation of pushing the button member.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a hinge unit of a mounting strap characterized in comprising a rotational pipe member formed with a hole in an L-like shape perforated in the L-like shape in a peripheral direction and an axial direction at a side face thereof, a slide pipe member inserted to the rotational pipe member and formed with a long hole perforated to direct skewedly relative to the axial direction at a side face thereof, a button member inserted into the slide pipe member, a fixed member projected and inserted to the hole in the L-like shape of the rotational pipe member and the long hole of the slide pipe member and connected to the button member, an adjusting mechanism for adjusting a range of rotating the rotational pipe member relative to the slide pipe member by changing a length of the slide pipe member relative to the rotational pipe member, an axial direction elastic member for urging the slide pipe member and the button member to each other such that the fixed member is butted to a side of a terminal end in the axial direction of the hole in the L-like shape of the rotational pipe member, and a rotational direction elastic member for urging the rotational pipe member and the slide pipe member to each other such that the fixed member is butted to a side of the terminal end in the peripheral direction of the hole in the L-like shape of the rotational pipe member, wherein either of the rotational pipe member and the fixed member is attached to a case main body of a portable apparatus and other thereof is attached to a strap piece to thereby axially fix the strap piece rotatably to one end side or other end side of the case main body.
Thereby, as described later, by axially fixing the strap piece rotatably to the one end side or the other end side of the case main body, a user can detach the mounting strap from the arm and mount the mounting strap thereto by operation of pushing the button member.
Further, the fixed member is regulated not only by the hole in the L-like shape of the rotational pipe member but also by the long hole of the slide pipe member and therefore, when a length of the slide pipe member relative to the rotational pipe member is adjusted, in accordance with a pitch of the long hole, the range of rotating the rotational pipe member is changed and a ring diameter formed by the mounting strap can finely be adjusted.
Further, according to the hinge unit of the mounting strap of the invention, when the fixed member is butted to a side of a terminal end in the axial direction of the hole in the L-like shape, the strap piece is axially fixed rotatably to the one end side or the other end side of the case main body such that the mounting strap is stabilized in a state of being closed.
Thereby, when the button member is pushed into the rotational pipe member (or the slide pipe member) until the fixed member is butted to a portion intersected with the axial direction and peripheral direction of the hole in the L-like shape, the button member is slid to a side of a terminal end in the peripheral direction of the hole in the L-like shape by urge force by the rotational direction elastic member and the rotational pipe member is rotated relative to the button member to thereby rotate the strap piece in an opening direction relative to the case main body. Therefore, the user can detach the mounting strap by one touch operation since the strap piece can be opened by operation of pushing the button member.
Further, according to the hinge unit of the mounting strap of the invention, when the fixed member is butted to the side of the terminal end in the axial direction of the hole in the L-like shape, the strap piece is axially fixed rotatably to the one end side or the other end side such that the mounting strap is stabilized in a state of being opened.
Thereby, when the button member is pushed into the rotational pipe member (or the slide pipe member) until the fixed member is butted to the portion intersected with the axial direction and the peripheral direction of the hole in the L-like shape, the button member is slid to the side of the terminal end in the peripheral direction of the hole in the L-like shape by urge force of the rotational direction elastic member to thereby rotate the strap piece in the direction of being closed relative to the case main body. Therefore, the user can attach the mounting strap to the arm by one touch operation since the strap piece can be closed by operation of pushing the button member.
Further, a stepped portion may be formed at the terminal end in the axial direction of the hole in the L-like shape and the fixed member may be fitted to the stepped portion.
Further, it is preferable to provide a button bar for bridging the respective button members of the hinge unit axially fixed to the one end side of the case main body of the portable apparatus and the hinge unit axially fixed to the other end side to thereby connect each other. Thereby, the hinge units at the both ends can simultaneously be operated and therefore, attaching and detaching by one touch operation is facilitated.
The hole in the above-described L-like shape is provided when the rotational pipe member is viewed from an outer side thereof and there is included also a xcex93-like shape constituting a shape of a mirror image thereof. The hinge unit can correspond to either of one touch release and one touch mounting by a difference of the L-like shape and the xcex93-like shape. Further, the hinge unit can deal with either of one touch release and one touch mounting by attaching the hinge unit by changing a direction of axial fixing by 180.
Further, it is preferable to mold the strap piece in a bow-like shape by injection molding since a feeling of fitting to the arm is promoted. Further, the shape is not limited to the bow-like shape so far as the shape is the shape capable of surrounding the arm in a ring-like shape.